Psalms 37:25 (WEB)

Passage

I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:23 A man’s goings are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way.

Psalms 37:24 Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand.

Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread.

Psalms 37:26 All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His offspring is blessed.

Psalms 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "been", "young", "seen", "righteous", "forsaken", "children", "begging", and "bread". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "been" and "young", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Though he stumble he shall not fall..." into verse 26's "All day long he deals graciously and...", so "been" and "young" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "been" and "young" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.